Book Review: "Schneier of Security"

Schneier on Security -- by Bruce Schneier (Link to Amazon.Com)

Being a fan of Bruce Schneier's other books, I looked forward to his latest work "Schneier On Security", and certainly was not disappointed, although I found that I had read some sections of the book previously.

"Schneier On Security" consist of a compilation of articles published by Mr. Schneier from 2002 through the summer of 2008. If you regularly read Crypto-Gram and Wired Magazine you will be familiar with some sections of this book. Articles published in other magazines and newspapers, and reprinted in this book, I had not previously read and enjoyed the opportunity to read them now.

As with all of Mr. Schneier's writings, the articles in the book are thought provoking yet at the same time easy to read.

The book is divided into 12 chapters, followed by a large list of web-sites providing additional information and references.

The chapters are:
Introduction
1 - Terrorism and Security
2 - National Security Policy
3 - Airline Travel
4 - Privacy and Surveillance
5 - ID Cards and Security
6 - Election Security
7 - Security and Disasters
8 - Economics of Security
9 - Psychology of Security
10 - Business of Security
11 - Cybercrime and Cyberwar
12 - Computer and Information Security
References
Index

Each chapter consists of a few previously published articles related to the chapter topic.

Well written, thought provoking, and an opportunity to get several of Mr. Schneier's articles collected into a single volume.


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From the Inside Flap

You take off your shoes in the airport. You scan the supermarket's "preferred customer" card to get the sale price. You claw your way through tamper-resistant packaging for a couple of aspirin. You accept all these inconveniences in the name of security.

But are you any safer?

Bruce Schneier, arguably the world's foremost authority on computer security, has explored security issues ranging from protecting your password to illegal wiretapping.

This collection of Schneier's best op-ed pieces, columns, and blog posts goes beyond technology, offering his insight into everything from the risk of identity theft (vastly overrated) to the long-range security threat of unchecked presidential power and the surprisingly simple way to tamper-proof elections.

You'll discover:
- Why data mining will never protect us from terrorists
- How your stone-age brain affects what you fear and what security measures you accept
- Why computer security is fundamentally an economic problem
- Whether you can really trust a Trusted Traveler
- If sacrificing your privacy has made you more secure
- Why refusing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants actually reduces security
- The industry power struggle over controlling your computer
- Why we overestimate some risks and underestimate others
- Why national ID cards won't make us safer, only poorer
. . . and much more

This book will challenge your illusions of security at every level.

Think it's okay to give up your privacy if you're doing nothing wrong? What happens when "wrong" gets redefined? How much power over your personal life are you willing to concede to the person you least want to see as president? What's the acceptable trade-off between security and convenience?

In this ruthless, comprehensive, and thought-provoking analysis, Schneier shows us what we should be worrying about and how to get our national fingers off the panic button.